Review | Degustabox April 2017

It’s finally arrived! A little later than usual because of all the bank holidays but my April Degustabox finally made it to the door, hurray. It’s one thing I really look forward to getting every month because you don’t know what’s going to be inside and it’s such fun to find out about new brands and new products and give them a go.

One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned before is that you always get a little A4 sheet which tells you all of the products you have inside, along with a mini description of each of them. On the back you get a recipe which usually requires a particular product that you’ve been sent. April’s recipe is ‘Pasta Alla Norma’ which you could use the Garofalo whole wheat penne pasta included in your Degustabox.

The Garofalo pasta cooks really quickly, is super filling and has a really good taste and texture to it. We had it with our spaghetti bolognese the other night. It’s made with unprocessed whole organic durum wheat which means that a lot of the vitamins and minerals remain intact which in turn means lots of healthy benefits for you.

April’s Degustabox had quite a few snacks in and I don’t think I’ll ever complain about that! The first snack was the Seabrook lattice crisps in sea salt and black pepper. These are quite similar to McCoy’s, I thought, and they could’ve done with a little more salt. They open from the front face of the bag with a peel off opening and it’s not one you can close easily, so if you don’t plan on eating them all in one go, it might not be a good idea to open them all the way up! They otherwise had a good crunch and were pretty tasty but I wouldn’t go out in a rush to buy this particular flavour again.

The second snack is the Whitworths ‘full of super’ macaroons. My husband described them as ‘dangerous’ because they’re so good. They’re pretty heavy on the calories but they are biscuits! Having said that they’re gluten and soya free, suitable for veggies and they’re naturally high in fibre. The vanilla, almonds, coconut and golden flax worked so well together and I would happily buy a bigger pack of these.

A post shared by Jade (@raisingtherings) on Apr 28, 2017 at 7:10am PDT

Doisy and Dam were in this month’s Degustabox with their quinoa, smoked tea and vanilla chocolate. My husband and I had a difference of opinion on this; he though it was pretty nice, I thought it tasted awful. This is absolutely not for me, but I knew from the ‘smoked tea’ that it wouldn’t be. It’s quite an interesting combination and it’s one of eight unique flavours that Doisy and Dam offer but not one that I’m keen to try again quickly, and I love chocolate, sorry!

POLOs are something that we all know and love! They appeared in this month’s Degustabox in a pot and totally sugar free. Handy to keep in your handbag or in the car these are super convenient for when you’re on the move. There’s not much I can say about POLOs other than they leave your mouth feeling super fresh!

I never used to like peanuts but really enjoy them as a snack every now and again! Personally I like them salted but I’ve enjoyed trying new flavours and these ones from ViPnuts were no different. We got the ‘hot chilli’ ones and they were so nice! It had a really nice kick without burning your throat and the flavour was deep and well rounded. I like that they’re not too hot because this does put some people off but I could easily demolish a whole pack of these. Again, they came in a good sized pack and I’d be more than happy to purchase these again instead of my normal salted ones! Yum.

These ‘Good Hemp’ hemp seed hearts haven’t been tried and tested yet but I’m really intrigued to get them in and on a few dishes. I made some butternut squash soup the other day so next time I make some instead of putting seeds on top I think I’m going to try these. They feel squishy so I’m not sure what the texture will be like but they seem like the kind of thing I’d enjoy. I’m also going to do a bit of baking and add these in – hopefully the kids won’t notice!

‘Nothing But’ left us nothing but goodies in April. ‘Nothing But’ produce snack sized packs of freeze dried fruits and vegetables and it’s all 100% wholesome ingredients. Teddy really liked these and so did my husband! Toby doesn’t like anything good for you so naturally they didn’t even get past him! But I really liked these; they were fruity, had a great texture and tasted good! A lovely little afternoon snack and good for lunch boxes too!

Dorset Cereals have recently released their ‘Ultimate Adventures’ collection. We got the ‘American Roadtrip’ pack which is a blend of cranberries, almonds and orange zest which has been inspired by Route 66. Admittedly I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to try the new Machu Picchu flavour because that seemed a little more adventurous than the American Roadtrip flavour. However, Dorset Cereals are not something we are ever disappointed with on the whole. I always love their packaging and their cereals are super yummy, this one is no different!

Summer’s coming thick and fast and it won’t be long before we’re all sat out in the garden in the evenings having a refreshing little tipple to get over the stresses of the day; no hot chocolates and blankets at this time of year, no sir! Fentimans have made a pink grapefruit tonic water which is sure to leave you feeling super fresh. It’s dry, crisp, quite pink and tastes lovely with a gin or vodka. It’s beautifully refreshing and zesty and one you’ll want to have in your alcohol cupboard at home!

What did you think of April’s Degustabox? Is there something you’d like to see more of?

*I was sent this Degustabox in return for a review. All views and opinions are my own.